These are the *best* places for brunch in London
Nothing marks the start of the weekend like a delicious brunch (post parkrun or Pilates, of course). And in the capital, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to finding the ‘best brunch in London’.
Whether you prefer to opt for fluffy pancakes and a cappuccino or avocado and protein-packed eggs and a green smoothie, we’ve put the best brunch spots in London to the test and handpicked our favourites.
Best brunch in London at a glance
Best brunch in south London: Milk and Pear Tree Cafe
Best brunch in east London: Mae + Harvey and E5 Bakehouse
Best brunch in west London: Peggy Jean and Urban Pantry
32 best brunch spots in London
Best brunch in central London
Fallow
Whoever decided that a stuffed 'croissant roll' was a good idea honestly needs a pay rise. Westminster restaurant Fallow launched its first brunch menu last year and hasn't looked back. For something heartier, order the full English breakfast which features a slow-cooked pork belly, roasted tomatoes, bubble, black pudding, and a perfectly poached egg, all served with sourdough toast. Indulgent and satisfying.
Location: St James’s
Website: fallowrestaurant.com
Farm Girl
Farm Girl's Australian-owned cafes will help you live out your Bondi Beach dreams on even the dreariest and dark of London days. There are plenty of healthy food options, including acai bowls and salads, as well as Aussie-approved coffee.
Location: Notting Hill, South Kensington
Website: thefarmgirl.co.uk
Caravan
Caravan does not skimp when it comes to brunch, with endless options tailor-made for breakfast including Korean-style chicken kimchi pancakes and peanut butter and blueberry french toast. Foodies and fussy eaters alike will be satisfied with the range of options. Plus, they have an option for bottomless filter coffee, ideal if you're having one of those weekends.
Location: Canary Wharf, City, Covent Garden, Exmouth Market, Fitzrovia, Kings Cross, London Bridge
Website: caravanandco.com
The Buttery
This picture-perfect cafe is located at The Lime Tree Hotel, where you can dine in their secret garden, making it the perfect brunch spot for a summer's day. Choose from Nutella french toast or sharing platters of shakshuka while you soak up Vitamin D.
Location: Belgravia
Website: limetreehotel.co.uk
Brother Marcus
This Eastern Mediterranean restaurant offers all-day dining, which means you can have brunch for dinner if you'd like. And chances are, after trying Brother Marcus' smoky shakshuka, you might well decide to. With various locations across central London, this is a great spot for a brunch that will undoubtedly deliver on flavour.
Location: Covent Garden, Angel, Borough Yards, Spitalfields, South Kensington
Website: brothermarcus.co.uk
Dalloway Terrace
You can't do much better for an al-fresco brunch than Dalloway Terrace. Spend the morning pretending you're in the English countryside indulging in shakshuka, lobster rolls and maybe a cocktail or two.
Location: Bloomsbury
Website: dallowayterrace.com
Volonté
If your ideal weekend involves embracing your inner wellness girly, you can't pick a much better spot than Volonté for a healthy brunch. With a Pilates and yoga studio at their Fitzrovia and Chelsea locations, you can even get some morning movement in before sitting down for an egg-whipped omelette and green smoothie.
Location: Chelsea, Piccadilly, Fitzrovia
Website: cafevolonte.co.uk
Acai Girls
Smoothie bowls aren't just for Pinterest - they're actually one of the most nutritious and delicious ways to start your day. If you're not convinced just yet, you will be after visiting Acai Girls, where you can build your own bowl topped with fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, or choose from one of the delicious options on their menu.
Location: Fulham, Victoria, Notting Hill
Website: acaigirls.com
Cafe Boheme
If you like to stick to the classics when it comes to brunch, then you can't do much better than the French restaurant Cafe Boheme. Plus, you can finish your meal with a bowl of hot chocolate and a pastry for dipping in, because breakfast dessert is absolutely a thing when you're dining like the French.
Location: Soho
Website: cafeboheme.co.uk
Plants by DE
A plant-based brunch doesn't get much better than Deliciously Ella's very own restaurant. Each day, their chefs take 14 plants and transform them into delicious sharing dishes that will please carnivores and vegans alike.
Location: Mayfair
Website: deliciouslyella.com
Grind
Grind has become an institution of sorts for brunch in London, and for good reason. Serving classic brunch options alongside pretty-in-pink interiors, it's the perfect place to catch up with your girlfriends. And while you're at it, why not opt for their bottomless brunch…
Location: Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Greenwich, Shoreditch
Website: grind.co.uk
Best brunch in south London
Milk
If you're the kind of person who lets your camera eat before you, you will not be disappointed by MILK's brunch offerings. They make avocado toast look like a work of art and, thankfully, it isn't just style over substance, as their Aussie-inspired brunches always hit the spot, as does their locally supplied coffee.
Location: Balham
Website: milk.london
Nue Ground
Clapham's very own wellness hub Nue Ground is the ideal place to spend your weekend mornings, with a brilliant brunch menu with all the breakfast favourites and plenty more. Their restaurant sits directly next door to a yoga and reformer Pilates studio, and they also have an in-house facialist, so this is the type of brunch you can really make a day out of.
Location: Clapham
Website: nueground.co.uk
Willows
Like to try a little bit of everything when you go out to eat? You'll love Willows' brunch concept, which is inspired by smörgåsbord, a buffet style of eating originating in Sweden. Add up to five pieces to your brunch plate, choosing from sweet and savoury options and choose from their super fun list of breakfast cocktails if you're feeling a boozy brunch.
Location: Clapham
Website: willowsclapham.com
Juliet's
Somewhere between a Byron Bay cafe and an American diner, Juliet's will certainly transport you away from London for a couple of hours. Delicious coffee and eggs done so well you'll feel nostalgic the first time you slice into them, what's not to love?
Location: Tooting
Website: instagram.com/julietsqualityfood
Pear Tree Cafe
Fancy brunch at the park? The Pear Tree cafes are located at the heart of Battersea Park and Clapham Common, respectively, which means you can transport yourself out of the city while enjoying their avo toast.
Location: Battersea, Clapham
Website: peartreecafe.co.uk
The Apple Blue
This south-west London cafe is one you'll want to return to every weekend, not least for their ever-changing, endlessly creative takes on the croissant (a Maltesers pastry is something we didn't know we needed), but for what is probably the best coffee this side of the river. There are also plenty of bigger dishes that will fill you up all day long, including Turkish eggs paired with garlic yoghurt and French toast paired with lotus cream custard.
Location: Balham
Website: theappleblue.com
Linnaean
A sustainable, zero-waste restaurant focussing on mostly plant-based ingredients, you'll come away from Linnaean's brunch feeling completely nourished. And if that wasn't enough, you can head to their hair salon or beauty rooms following your meal, spending the day being pampered and very well-fed.
Location: Nine Elms
Website: linnaean.co.uk
Best brunch in east London
Mae + Harvey
Foodies, your ears are about to perk up at the sound of restaurant Mae + Harvey who take brunch very seriously. With menus that change regularly, you're bound to eat something new whether it's crab cakes for breakfast or a fish finger sandwich like you've never seen before. Mouth-watering is guaranteed.
Location: Bow
Website: maeandharvey.com
WAVE
This is the type of cafe where you ask the waiter to come over to double-check that what you're eating is actually vegan (because it tastes so good). Proving that plant-based eating is anything but boring, this cafe serves up a whole range of brunch options, from pancakes to brekkie bowls and smoothies.
Location: Hackney
Website: weareveganeverything.com
Dusty Knuckle
For East Londoners, Dusty Knuckle is bakery Mecca. Row upon row of expertly crafted sourdough line the walls of this airy warehouse space just off Kingsland road, and the pastries are some of the best in London. Early birds get there at 10am for a cinnamon morning bun, while the later crowd enjoys doorstopper focaccia sandwiches from 11.30am. Don't be put off by the long queues at the weekend - they generally move quite quickly, and stock is usually plentiful.
Location: Dalston
Website: thedustyknuckle.com
E5 Bakehouse
There's no better way to fuel a Broadway Market browse than with an E5 Bakehouse breakfast. Set in a railway arch close to London Fields, the veg-forward brunch menu ranges from classics like their house-made granola with organic yoghurt and fresh fruit to halloumi buns and kefir pancakes with roasted peaches. Our tip? Head through the narrow tables to the small outdoor spot at the back, it's a real sun trap.
Location: London Fields
Website: e5bakehouse.com
Pavilion Cafe
Take your brunch water-side at Victoria Park's Pavilion Cafe. This is a busy spot on the weekends, but there's plenty of seating and no need to book. Choose from their famous Sri Lankan breakfast, egg muffins, classic avo-toast or one of their brilliant bakes.
Location: Victoria Park
Website: pavilionbread.com/victoria-park
Bake Street
Unless you live in the area, you're unlikely to come across Bake Street on a weekend stroll. It's a bit of a 'destination' spot for those not in-the-know, and it's well worth a trip. The Americana-tinged menu features smash burgers, Nashville-style chicken and tater tots, as well as more traditional baked goods and a few Turkish-inspired breakfast items. One thing to note is that there's no indoor seating, so plan your visit for a day with mild weather.
Location: Stoke Newington
Website: instagram.com/bakestreet
The Snapery East
A few doors down from another classic London Fields brunch venue, E5 Bakehouse, you'll find The Snapery East. Serving toasties, breakfast muffins smothered in sriracha sauce, and top-notch pastries, it's a failsafe choice. There's a large outdoor seating area that gets plenty of sun, and there's a fridge full of kombucha and organic produce for you to take home, if you like.
Location: London Fields
Website: thesnaperyeast.com
Best brunch in north London
Sunday
This north-London cafe is small and quaint, but the food is anything but. With a variety of specials every weekend and brunches that will make your weekend feel luxurious, after eating here you'll question why you ever settled for a bowl of cereal.
Location: Islington
Website: instagram.com/sundaybarnsbury
Beam
Super stylish, Beam is a family-owned cafe with four North London locations. Specialising in Middle-Eastern style breakfasts and brunch. Expect an interesting take on eggs Benedict with shawarma spiced patties, pickled red cabbage & harissa hollandaise.
Location: Muswell Hill, Crouch End. Highbury. Notting Hill
Website: cafebeam.co.uk
Common Ground
This brilliant little neighbourhood café in Finsbury Park is just five minutes from the station and it’s always busy with people cooing over the freshly baked cinnamon buns on display in the window. On a weekend, they serve brunch all day long – and it's far from a boring avo on-toast situ. Think: tiramisu French toast, chilli cornbread with poached eggs, and crispy potato latke.
Location: Finsbury Park
Website: commongroundlondon.co.uk
Best brunch in west London
Peggy Jean
Brunch! On a boat! What more could you want? Featuring unparalleled views of the Thames, Richmond Bridge and Richmond Riverside, Peggy Jean – a restored former Jesus College Oxford barge – is the go-to place for water-top dining. The brunch menu is Aussie-inspired – think: smashed avocado on charcoal sourdough, shakshouka and sweetcorn fritters. The ideal location for a lazy weekend brunch with friends.
Location: Richmond
Website: daisygreenfood.com
Hideaway
Situated on the Thames – between Kingston and Hampton Court Palace – this unassuming cafe turned tapas bar does brunch extremely well. Dine on cajun chicken and crushed avocado waffles or courgette and feta fritters while watching the boats go past.
Location: Surbiton
Website: instagram.com/hideaway_surbiton
Burnt
This hidden gem in Shepherd's Bush is a must-visit. Seasonally driven, settle in with a cup of Climpson & Sons coffee and enjoy the perfectly cooked English asparagus and Parmesan Croque madame. Don't forget to try the miso dark chocolate and hazelnut cookies or maple-frosted banana bread, too (or just order it to-go to enjoy later).
Location: Shepherd’s Bush
Website: burntrestaurant.co.uk
Urban Pantry
This well-established independent café on Devonshire Road in Chiswick has been quietly serving up some of the best brunch in West London. From American-style pancakes to poached eggs and corn fritters, they also offer seasonal specials to keep things interesting for their regulars.
Location: Chiswick
Website: urby-p.com
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